Q. How would I benefit from using POLARA®?
A. You save time, money, on labor and repairs and extend the life of your roof. It’s a proven, time-tested method. PolaraLUM(TM) is also great for hot weather climates as it reflects heat away from the roof.
Q. Where did POLARA® Polyester originate?
A. POLARA® polyester originated as a solution to splits caused by deck movement during freeze-and-thaw cycles. This problem had prevented hot built-up roofing (BUR) from being acknowledged as the best and most economical roofing system available.
Single-ply Modified Bitumen products adequately addressed the issue of splits; however, single-ply systems significantly increased cost and risk to the contractor due to quality issues and workmanship-induced problems.
When polyester reinforcements were recognized as the contributing factor giving single-ply membranes and Modified Bitumen systems superior toughness, it was only a matter of designing the right polyester with the specific attributes to construct a high-performance, hot built-up roof.
Q. Hasn't polyester been promoted in the past in built-up roofs?
A. Yes, but those systems have often been cold-applied systems using relatively light polyester ply sheets. POLARA® polyester, while acceptable for certain cold- applied systems, was developed specifically for use with hot bitumen (asphalt).
Q. How did the development of POLARA® differ from other polyesters?
A. Previous polyester systems often came about as a result of efforts to develop a roof system to accommodate the attributes of a particular polyester material that already existed. This was really only an attempt to broaden the sales base of polyester products developed for other industries.
With POLARA®, however, development efforts were focused on developing a reinforcement that overcame splitting due to deck movement and that also complemented the attributes of hot-applied bitumen. In other words, POLARA® polyester addressed the performance that BUR faced due to splits and offers a method of improving the performance of this tried-and-true, traditional method of roofing.
Q. What makes POLARA®-reinforced hot BURs unique?
A. POLARA® polyesters are mats which do not compromise strength for elongation. POLARA® reinforced membranes have the ability to exceed recommended tensile standards for built-up roof membranes but, in addition, also have elongation and tear strength—properties needed to overcome failure from splits.
POLARA® polyesters also have the right balance of thickness—thickness designed to provide high puncture resistance while remaining thin enough to facilitate saturation with bitumen. These inherent properties give POLARA® a high degree of mold-ability, perfect for easily shaping the material onto and around common or unusual roof contours.
POLARA® FAQ
Q. What is "POLARA® Polyester"?
A. POLARA® polyester is a special grade of spunbond polyester developed exclusively for reinforcement of hot-applied bitumen: a 180 gram/square meter (5.3 ounce) mat. The product was awarded two U.S. Patents and one Canadian Patent. The POLARA® system is approved by FMRC and is listed with SBCCI.
Q. Is POLARA® expensive compared to other traditional materials in the trade?
A. No. Yet it can save roofers thousands of dollars on roofing projects as a result of enormous labor savings, fewer worker-induced installation problems, and a sharp reduction in the number of guarantee and warranty claims.